Title:Characteristics and Determinants of Pulse Pressure-Age Relationship in Healthy and Non-treated Hypertensive Subjects of Argentinean Population
Volume: 17
Issue: 2
Author(s): Alejandro Díaz*, Ariel F. Pascaner, Sandra Wray and Edmundo C. Fischer
Affiliation:
- Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud, UNICEN-CONICET, Tandil,Argentina
Keywords:
Pulse pressure, pulse wave velocity, arterial, stiffness, ageing, cfPWV, hypertension.
Abstract:
Background: The relationship between the increases in pulse pressure (PP) and arterial
stiffness determined by aging or systemic hypertension has been widely reported. These findings
are supported by large-cohort analyzes conducted in well-known populations, such as Framingham
Study. However, there is evidence that an age-PP curvilinear relationship may exist in hypertensive
subjects. This study aimed to evaluate the age-related change in pulse pressure and arterial stiffness
in a population-based study.
Methods: Carotid-femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (cfPWV) were obtained in 2075 subjects.
Results: Age-related changes of PP showed a curvilinear relationship (R=0.39, p<0.0001) in normotensive
subjects, with a nadir at around 50 years of age. On the other hand, the age-cfPWV relationship
showed a linear and positive correlation (R=0.72, p<0.0001). PP also showed a curvilinear
relationship with age (R=0.36, p<0.0001) in hypertensive subjects, with a nadir around 50 years of
age. The age-cfPWV relationship showed a linear and positive correlation (R=0.55, p<0.0001).
Similar results were observed in the adult population (age≥16 years). Multivariate analysis showed
that age, sex, cfPWV, and mean arterial pressure are determinants of PP values in the entire population;
however, this result was not uniform when different subgroups were analyzed.
Conclusion: In conclusion, age-related changes in PP showed a curvilinear relationship and no parallelism
with the age-cfPWV relationship for both normotensive and hypertensive subjects. The determinants
of PP impact it differently depending on age and the pathological condition of the subject.
